Moderate Alcohol Intake: Have Just a Pint for Your Heart

Heart disease is the most common of all diseases to kill both men and women each year in the United States. The conditions of the heart that it includes are heart attack, congestive heart failure and congenital heart disease. There are many factors that increase a person's risk for having a heart-related problem. Smoking, lack of exercise, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure are all proven signs that can cause heart disease.

Can Alcohol Help my Heart?

So can you decrease your risk for the development of heart related problems? Yes, by changing some of the habits you may have that increase the risk. Believe it or not, drinking in moderation is helpful to your heart. Having one drink per day can lower your risk for heart disease. One drink is limited to and equal to either one 12-ounce beer, or one 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor. Experts say that a man can have up to two drinks per day for this to be proven true, while women can have just one drink per day. Any excess of this amount is no longer helpful.

Benefits of Moderate Alcohol Consumption

• One drink per day can help raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels, which is important because people want their HDL levels to be higher than their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. This helps prevent artery damage that is caused by high LDL.
• A moderate drink can also lower blood pressure and is good for the circulatory system.
• The combination of moderate drinking and regular exercise also lower risk of death from a heart-related complication.
• Gallstones and Type 2 diabetes are less likely.

One study showed that people who drank in moderation were more likely to be at a healthy weight, sleep more each night (a healthy amount) and were more apt to exercise.

Excessive Drinkers and Non-Drinkers

Amazingly, people who do not drink and those who drink heavily are at the same exact risk. People who drink in excess frequently are at a higher risk, as well as those who do not drink at all for developing heart disease or heart-related difficulties. This is especially true if either the excessive drinker or the non-drinker do not exercise. Both groups of people are at a very high risk if exercise is not included in their everyday lives. The risk of heart disease increases by 49% in those who do not drink, exercise and who over drink. It is important to note that if you do not currently drink, this is not a suggestion to start. As long as exercise is included with your life, it will decrease the risk.

Here's to Your Heart!

Enjoying an alcoholic beverage is often times a way to relax, relieve stress and is a social practice. It is also shown to improve digestion if one drink is consumed before eating a meal. Each reason is a contributing to factor to a person's health and overall well-being. Consuming one drink in moderation per day is a heart healthy decision that some people choose to make. As long as people can limit themselves, it is clear benefit to one's heart.

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/default.htm

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/alcohol.html

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20051013/alcohol-help-hearts

Photo Credit: Colognid

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